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October 30, 2009

Welsh Rabbit "rarebit" Souffle

Sometime dinner has to be on the very simple side. We generally don't get home until 8:00 most nights and after the dog has been walked and the mail sorted, the cocktail poured and the jammies donned I get dinner to the table. I cook at least 6 out of 7 nights a week. It's my therapy, my way to relax and since I began running the school I really don't get to cook much on a daily basis at work, so on nights and weekends I flex my culinary muscles. Generally on Saturday or Sunday I make a list of what dinner will be for the week. I thaw and marinate and make lists and on the way into work each morning I pop into Whole Foods when it is vewy vewy quiet (shhhh I'm hunting wabbits) and pick up the produce I need. Along with the stuff I make and put up in the freezer we may only get take out once every few months. Sometimes I just need pad thai or duck choo chee made just for me.

I had no plans for dinner on Wednesday night so on my drive into work I tried to decide what I would need at the store. I hopped out of the truck, grabbed my bags and phone and headed in. I started plucking ingredients and I realised that when I was reading an old Saveur over tea that morning I had seen a picture of a Welsh rabbit and it must have stuck in my head or maybe it was just the freezing cold pouring rain and gray sky that made me want it. My favourite version to make is the one from the Two Fat Ladies. Unlike many recipes it does not have any beer in it, but it does have the usual Worcestershire sauce.

Their method separates the yolks into the cheese and then whips up the whites seperately effectively making a light soufflé instead of the traditional cheese sauce poured over the toast and browned under the broiler. Once you break though the dark crust it's a very light soft soufflé inside. Heaven. A nice green salad and a glass of wine and your world is a much happier place.

Welsh Rabbit

Take a gratin dish and slice some hearty, rustic bread and toast it. Lay this on the bottom of the dish. I like the crusts cut off for this.

Separate 4 eggs. Into 3 of the yolks, discard the 4th, add some dry mustard powder - about 1 tsp. Coleman's is my preferred mustard powder, now add a dash or two of hot sauce, my poison is Frank's red hot and a splash or two or three or Worcestershire sauce.

Mix this up and add some grated cheese, about 2 cups. Good sharp cheddar is traditional, but I added a bit of gruyere that I had kicking around, I think raclette might be nice as well. Mix this up and add some salt and pepper.

Whip the crap out of those egg whites until you get a nice stiff peak. Hold that whisk up and if your peak stays up like Mt Fuji your good to go.

Take a bit of those whites and dump them in your cheese mixture, stir it up to lighten the mixture and then as gently as you can, fold in the rest of the whites.

Tip this out on top of your bread and bake for 10 minutes or so in a 450F oven.